Crosshaven RNLI launched following accidental EPIRB activation
- Pat Nolan
- 3 minutes ago
- 1 min read
Thursday 6 August 2026
Crosshaven RNLI volunteers launched this morning (Thursday 6 August) following the activation of an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) from a vessel approximately 3.5 miles south-south-east of Roches Point.
The alarm was raised at 11.37am when Valentia Coast Guard received an automatic EPIRB signal and requested the Crosshaven all-weather lifeboat to launch.
The lifeboat, under the command of Coxswain Alan Venner and with crew members Gary Heslin, Aidan O'Connor and Conor Barry on board, made best speed to the position transmitted by the beacon.
On arrival, the crew located a lone fisherman who was happily fishing and was in no danger. It was quickly established that his EPIRB had been activated accidentally.
After confirming the beacon details with Valentia Coast Guard, the RNLI crew assisted in deactivating the EPIRB before returning to station. The lifeboat arrived back alongside at 1.15pm.
Speaking following the callout, Coxswain Alan Venner said: "EPIRBs are vital pieces of lifesaving equipment and when one is activated we always treat it as a genuine emergency until we can establish otherwise. Fortunately, on this occasion it was an accidental activation and the fisherman was safe and well. We would encourage all boat users to familiarise themselves with their safety equipment to help prevent accidental activations."
The volunteer shore crew for the launch were Susanne Deane, Alex Barry, Hugh Mockler, Darryl Hughes and Warren Forbes. The Launch Authority was James Cotter.